Pipradrol is a mild central nervous system stimulant that acts on both dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake. It was originally marketed as Meratran® (Wm. S. Merrell Co of Cincinnati Ohio) and also in combination with several vitamins as Alertonic® Elixir. Pipradrol was considered an “energetic” when it first came to market in the mid to late 1950's and used for obesity, narcolepsy, and depression. Pipradrol has also been used in the setting of obstetric and gynecological practice, with multiple benefits, for example improving nausea and vomiting, premenstrual symptoms, post-partum psychosis, and menopausal-associated depression Kistner and Duncan, The New England Journal of Medicine 254, 507-510 (1956).
There is limited evidence that suggests pipradrol may have some efficacy in behavioral disorders in children. Oettinger, Diseases of the Nervous System 16, 299-302 (1955). The report concludes that the action of pipradrol lies in increasing the attention span and decreasing irritability with a resultant increase in function. However, pipradrol has been associated with side effects such as anxiety and alertness at bedtime. Fabing, Diseases of the Nervous System 10-15 (January 1955). In addition, although some anticonvulsant activity has been suggested, high doses of pipradrol may cause incoordinated activity and ataxia, followed by tremors and clonic convulsions. Following the Kefauver-Harris amendments to the FDA act in 1962, pipradrol was one of thousands of drugs that were assessed by special committees to define whether there was sufficient safety and efficacy to remain an approved drug. This process was called the Drug Efficacy Study Initiative or DESI. The committee which reviewed pipradrol included the psychiatrist Karl Rickels, who had published a study on 111 individuals with depression, in which pipradrol was not superior to placebo (Rickels et al., The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 14, 127-133; 1974). As a result, pipradrol was removed from the FDA register of approved drugs.
There remains a need for improved methods of treating behavioral syndromes.